Maybe I am misinformed but I understood:1) The state-mandated housing requirements are only mandated if you want to receive state money, and2) These requirements are being targeted in the Goleta Valley when they could be spread across the county of SB.

I live next to farmland and I like it that way. It is the prime reason that I bought my house where it is. For most of us, a home is the biggest asset we own. The economy has already driven the home values down close to 50% of what they were at one time. High-density housing in the ag lands will put us in the toilet as far that goes.

And don't try to give me grief because I was able to buy a home in Noleta 20 years ago. Yes, I have fortunate to be a homeowner but I have worked hard my whole life to provide a place where I could raise my children and be part of the community. I am not the 1%; I am a single, middle-class, over 50 woman and I struggle to keep my head above water. But my home is a commitment I have made and intend to keep.

My mother passed away with cancer several years ago. When she was in the hospital with intestinal blockage she was in severe pain. "If it were up to your father and I," she said, there would be a little black pill to end it. No one should have to endure this." We took her home with hospice care and the hospice staff was incredible. They controlled her pain and understood specific conditions much better than the doctors.

On the other hand, my healthy-looking dog had a terrible disease & had to be put down last week. We spent almost 1 1/2 hrs with her while she faded into sleep. I didn't stay for the final injection but the time we spent with her was peaceful & comforting. The vet came & sat with us several times & we chatted about pleasant things in addition to our dog.

"Pacific Capital laid off more than 325 of its 1,664 full-time employees and cut retiree benefits as loan losses mounted. The company has since hired back most of those workers."

I wonder what the real numbers are for layoff vs rehire as well as how many new employees have been hired to run the Bank now...

And there was the huge financial loss to shareholders & employees' retirement funds that had to be invested in PCB stock (shades of Bank of A Levy): first the plunge in price then the 100-to-1 REVERSE stock split after Ford invested his money. And taking away all of the acquired sick time that really hurt those employees who did not miss work (do I hear 2000 accumulated hours) vs those employees who took advantage of an extra day off every month (as in 0 accumulated hours). I'm not including legitimate reasons for time off.

"While the plaintiff’s attorneys could get $3.4 million in fees and expenses, the settlement does not call for the plaintiffs to get any cash."

$3.4 million sounds like a lot of money - but it's not much compared to what investors lost after PCB made the deal with Ford. The icing on the cake was when the company declared a reverse split 100/1. So if you had 100 shares of PCB stock, you now had one. This came at a time when the stock price was starting to rebound.

Meanwhile, investors lost retirement savings and income, 30+ year employees lost what they had worked so long for. PCB mandated that most of the employees' retirement investments be held in PCB stock. Retired investors lost substantial income that was their living expense.

I don't get why the attorneys get all of the money & PCB gets "... a full and final dismissal with prejudice of all claims against Pacific Capital Bancorp and the individual defendants..."

bird: The TARP money was used to support the Refund Anticipation Loans, not fuel the local economy. The RAL program has now had the plug pulled by the Feds.

maggi: The bank's decline is due to poor decisions both by Sr Mgmt & the Board..it's not just executive compensation.

limeysue: yes

contactjohn: Don't ever think that the bank is "too big to fail." The Feds are on their backs & they are ripe for a hostile takeover whether it happens or not. The loan portfolios have been in trouble for years!

slowjoe: Rotten is right but Sr Mgmt tried for many years to shield the Board - shame on both of them!

laszlo: SBBT is PCB & vice versa

littlebobeep: Right on! Consumer advocacy has always been the major threat to the RAL program. PCB has always known this but couldn't resist screwing those who needed the money from the tax returns the most in relation to the huge income it provided on the balance sheets!

"... development in the South Patterson area and the expectation of a school on the Lane Farms property are threats to farming’s future."How can this statement NOT be true? Preserving our agricultural land should be a priority over another school in these times of educational budget issues. I am sure that plan will call for opening of the dead-end street of Santa Lucia where it meets the Lane Farms property. Does John Lane have anything to say about this? What about the EIR and the impact on a quiet, safe neighborhood of the traffic that will be expected? What about the property values in the affected neighborhood...do you want to drive them down even more? It's time for the neighborhood coalitions to get active!